Occupational health and safety news and guidance

Tullis Russell Papermaker Ltd admitted a failure to monitor a contractor who was working on a fragile roof at its factory in Fife. The company pleaded guilty to breaching s3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and was fined £260,000. No costs are awarded in Scotland.

The contractor advised the company that they would be using crawling boards on the fragile roof. The boards were not used and the team accessed the roof by stepping directly on to it. Thomas Sturrock fell through the roof and landed on a concrete floor 50 feet below - he was pronounced dead at the scene.